To Love You Again

The sun was especially bright but it was not hot. The wind from the sea was refreshing and cool. There was no one at the beach at this time. 

They walked for a long time right beside the sea waves.

Xiong Zhi had a wide-brimmed straw hat on top of her head. Because the sun was not hot, she took off her sandals and walked barefoot on the white sand.

"Ah..." The sand was hot after all! 

"Zhi'er!" Linfeng was stunned, quickly carried her up, and bent down again to pick up the sandals.

"Why did you take off your slippers?" He walked towards the shade of palm trees, sat on the cooler sand, and let her sit on his lap. He personally put the sandals back on her feet.

"I didn't think the sand would be that hot."

"...Actually, as long as there's a bright sun up there, the sand will always retain its heat. Usually around sunset, the sand will start to cool down."

"Oh..." She forgot to think of that.

"Also, this level is tolerable for others, but your feet was very delicate, so the heat is unbearable to you."

Feeling the wide and hard chest on her back, Xiong Zhi began to stiffen. Maybe because she had impure thoughts for tonight, her nerves were tight and her senses were especially active today. 

Linfeng's scent, his deep voice, and his warmth made her feel strange.

Her cheeks turned red while she looked straight ahead at the peaceful sea waves, but she replied calmly. "Actually, I wanted to experience walking barefoot on the sand with you." 

She had seen it a lot in the dramas. She wanted to feel the sand on her feet while leaving footprints behind together with Linfeng.

Linfeng turned silent for a moment. He then embraced her from behind, his two strong arms encircling her waist.

"Then, let's walk barefoot later in the afternoon. We can pick up shells and make sandcastles later. Then we will walk a lot while holding hands. We will leave our footprints behind. We will watch the sunset together." Linfeng put his chin on her shoulders, taking a deep breath of her fragrance.

"But for now, let's stay like this. Are your feet okay? Do they still hurt?'

"No, it's alright now."

Linfeng hugged her tighter. The couple enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere, the warmth of the sun, and the cool breeze.

"I truly missed you." He had said this many times, but he could not help but repeat it over and over again. He could not get enough of her. He had the urge to tie her to his side, but he also wanted to see her shine brilliantly as the independent and successful woman that she was. So he could only persistently stay by her side.

Fortunately, the treaty restricting them before had ceased to exist. Fortunately, he was finally able to stand by her side again. 

Xiong Zhi laid her arms on top of the arms wrapped around her. "Me, too. I missed you so much, too."

No matter how many times they exchanged these words, it simply could not measure up to how they longed for each other.

Linfeng smiled and quietly listened to both of their heartbeats. Even though they talked almost every day, it was still not enough to see how she was actually doing in the past two years. 

They stayed that way for almost an hour, quietly enjoying the sound of nature, and occasionally chatting about random things they would suddenly recall, talking about the interesting bits in their companies and of their friends. The man would kiss the young woman's head, and the young woman would look up affectionately at the man.

Suddenly, a scene occurred in Linfeng's mind. 

"Zhi'er."

"Hmm?"

"In the past two years, my Zhi'er had grown so much. You became even more beautiful than the last time I saw you years ago. For sure, there are many men who wanted to court my Young Miss. Is there anyone who caused you trouble?"

The soft body in his arms suddenly froze. This made Linfeng sense that something really happened.

His eyes narrowed slightly, thinking of the possibilities. Who dared harass his Young Miss?

But he calmly and gently said, "If there's anyone troubling you, I can drive them off. I was absent in the past two years, but now that I am by your side, I can shoo away those bugs—ahem, I can guard you from them."

Xiong Zhi looked down. She was in a dilemma. She wanted to tell Linfeng what happened between her and Lu Yin Ze, but she suddenly got afraid. 

Would Linfeng think she was an impure girl? Would he still want to kiss her?

Suddenly, she remembered her scar from the past life, the one that brought her nightmares before, which seemed so distant now.

When she was violated and ruined by that beast, Linfeng had rescued her and embraced her tainted body. He pulled her up from the depths of hell. He did not show any disgust, but heartache for her, cherishing her. 

This tiny thing was not comparable at all to what happened to her in the past.

This time for sure, he would not leave just because of this, right?

Her heart beat fast but she decided to become firm. In a relationship, honesty was important.

"I...was kissed."

A short silence. The temperature suddenly seemed to drop.

"You are kissed..." Linfeng's voice slowly trailed off, an unusual tone in his voice. "...by someone other than me?"

Xiong Zhi wanted to bury her head because of guilt and nervousness, but she held on.

"...Yes, but I don't like it at all. He's not you, so I don't like it. I hated it," she hastily explained.

Silence. 

She bit her lips.

The head on her shoulder rose. From above her head, his low, cold voice reached her ears.

"You are forcefully kissed by someone?"

For some reason, the sun was not bright anymore, and the surroundings turned a bit colder.